Project launched to educate attorneys, police about domestic violence
Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/42135/
The Peace at Home Family Shelter, Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Washington County Bar Association are teaming to create a project designed to educate lawyers and law enforcement officers on domestic violence.
The Freedom Project was initiated Friday during a domestic violence and family law training seminar at the Clarion Inn in Fayetteville.
The groups presenting the event are inviting Northwest Arkansas attorneys to help low-income women and children obtain equal justice by having qualified attorneys for divorce and child custody issues.
Judith Selle, director of the Peace at Home Family Shelter, said legal aid is providing the help for the orders of protection, but legal representation related to divorce and custody is another component of the process.
“ They need competent attorneys, ” she said, adding that a goal is that victims will not return to abusive situations in Washington County for lack of competent counsel.
She suggested attorneys who want to help take on one or two cases a year.
As a member of the Freedom Project, the attorneys would have the option of designating the types of cases they would be willing to handle and at each stage of representation, they would have help from Legal Aid staff, as well as other volunteer family law attor- neys, law clerks and court reporters.
The women referred to the attorneys will be clients of the Peace at Home Family Shelter, and they will have the support of the shelter staff, volunteers and services.
The contact for this pro bono program is the Equal Access to Justice Panel at Legal Aid of Arkansas and the legal liaison from the Peace at Home Family Shelter.
Referral of cases will be on a rotating basis and lawyers may accept or reject cases, and handle as many or as few as will work for them.
The hope is that an attorney involved with the program will represent at least one woman and her children.
The training program Friday included a presentation by Selle, who talked about the dynamics of abuse, and breakout sessions on what is important in criminal investigations from Detective David Williams of the Fayetteville Police Department; how to prepare for trial when domestic violence is involved, presented by attorney Marshall Prettyman with Legal Aid of Arkansas, and what is needed for a conviction by Jeff Harper, city prosecutor for Springdale.
Closing discussion dealt with possible areas for change in the statutory and procedural law. Selle asked for input from attendees about proposed changes in laws. She serves as chairman of the statewide legislative committee that is part of the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
One issue she stressed is the need for more uniform orders of protection across the state.
Also in discussion is a proposal to deal with alleged perpetrators interrupting emergency phone communications on the part of victims.